Farmer ran oldest herd of pedigree Herefords
8:30am Thursday 17th July 2008
IF ever a man personified what it means to serve the community, Frank Smith came as close as it gets.
From his birth on the family farm at The Leen, Pembridge, to his death there last week, the 89-year-old spent all hours serving the county.
He began as a breeder of the country’s oldest pedigree Hereford Cattle herd, becoming a life member and president of the Hereford Herd Book Society, and was an ambassador for the breed, judging exhibits all over the country and the world.
But over the years it seems his dedication to Herefordshire developed further as his passion for improving became it a way of life.
As well as becoming alderman on Herefordshire Council in 1950 he was also a Kington magistrate for 35 years and British Legion chairman for 40.
Friend Dr Philip Cleland said Mr Smith’s work ethic came from the life and death situations he experienced as an operations officer in the Second World War – for which he received a Military Cross following a courageous advance in which several colleagues and his commander were killed.
He said: “You learned from people like that as an example.”
The veteran then also became a Three Counties Show director for half a century and a council member and chief cattle steward for the Royal Show.
More locally he was chief steward for Kington Show and president in 1970, and in his home village chaired the Pembridge Conservative Association for 43 years, Pembridge Parish Council and Pembridge Charities for 50 and was also church warden and school governor.
Son-in-law Tony Norman, who farmed the 400 acre-holding in partnership with Mr Smith for 38 years, said: “Apart from all that he was very well-known in farming circles.
“He will be sadly missed by his friends and family and it’s also the end of an era because we have had four generations on this farm for a while.”
The funeral was at St Mary’s Church, Pembridge, on Monday.